Brotherhood
by HowlingMisfit
Summary: Pre, During and Post 'Pack Animals'. A few moments in history that made an already strong friendship even stronger. Contains some spoilers for 'Pack Animals'


**A/N: **Unfortunately Part Three is going to be on hiatus while I work on another big project. But until I get back into Three, I have some ideas for a few Pack Animals One Shots that mostly fill in some of the gaps.

But the Shaggy and Fred bromance may have been my favorite thing to have written in Pack Animals. So of course I'm going to dedicate an entire story to it. It's like, one of my favorite things to write right now and I hope you like it too.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy. Please don't be a stranger and leave a review. :)

**-Brotherhood- **

When Fred was six years old. His father took him to the park. At the time it was his favorite place in the whole wide world.

While he was swinging and climbing on top of the jungle gym. He spotted a smaller figure in the distance. Another kid his age to play with. Fred smiled, turning to see his father napping soundly on the park bench. Jumping down from the monkey bars he was sitting on, he carefully approached the boy that was sitting just outside of the designated play area.

On closer inspection, the boy wore a bright green shirt and jeans that were covered in dirt and grass stains. On his elbow sat a massive bandaid, probably from a scrape. His hair was crazy, sticking out from all places and covered most of his face. Compared to Freds impeccably clean shorts and shirt with a sweater vest. The other kid looked as if he was raised by wolves.

"Um... hi..." Fred was cut off when the other boy, who was crouched over a dropped ice cream cone turned to glance up at him. Or at least he thought so, he couldn't see his eyes.

"The ants are having a ice cream party." The boy gave him a toothy grin before turning back to the ice cream. "I dropped my cone on accident, and I was sad. But then I realize that the ants and uncles has it now."

Fred stared down the half melted ice cream, and sure enough the treat was covered in ants and even a few other bugs that he couldn't exactly recognize. Well if that was the case, at least the food wouldn't go to waste.

Deciding the change the subject, Fred pointed to his chest, just like how his mother made him rehearse when he meets adults. "My name is Fred. It's really nice to meet you."

The boys attention focused on him entirely. "My name is Norville. But my Daddy calls me Shaggy. You can call me that too, I guess."

Fred stuck out his hand, and it took Shaggy a moment to realize that he wanted a handshake. Fred nodded, and he could imagine that his mother would be proud of him for using his good manners. "Well, Shaggy it is then. Do you want to play on the monkey bars with me?"

Shaggy smiled, nodding his head excitedly, ant icecream party already forgotten. "Groovy!"

...

When Fred was seven, he and Shaggy was waiting outside of their school. Usually Margret would pick them up and take them to the park. But this time she had to go to a dentist appointment. Which means Shaggy's father had to pick him up.

Which made Fred nervous, because he had never seen Shaggy's father before. Because whenever he had asked about the mysterious man previously, Shaggy always said that he was a busy 'on the force'. What doesn't that mean? Is Shaggy's dad a Jedi or something?

Actually, that would be really cool.

But instead of a space ship, a equally as cool cop car pulls up in front of them instead. Fred thought they were in trouble but instead the window rolled down to see an older looking Shaggy with a cool cop mustache and another man, much chubbier with his own version of a cool cop mustache but not as cool. Fred frowned, he had always wanted to be a cop, is having a mustache a part of the uniform? Because he can't grow one yet, which isn't fair because he thinks Police Officers are better than Jedis.

"Hi Dad! Hi Mr. Wendell!" Shaggy fearlessly opened the door to the back where criminals were usually brought to and climbed in without a thought. Fred was frozen in his spot until Shaggy reached out to grab his shirt. Pulling him into the cop car.

Jack Rogers glanced up at this son through the rear view window. "Hey Shaggy." He then looked over at Fred. "This must be Fred. I been hearing a lot of good things from you, young man."

"Thank you, sir." Fred quickly bucked his seatbelt to show that he follows the law. He knew that he had to make a good impression, especially in front of a cop, that's what his mom always told him. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh hoy! The boy has manners." Wendell turned to peer at Shaggy through the wire barricade. "Pay attention kid. A little manners will get ya' a long way."

Instead of agreeing with Wendell, Shaggy just stuck his tongue at him instead. Which only made the older man laugh. "The kid is starting to act like you too, Jackie. It's bad enough he looks like ya."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Leave him be, Wendell. Don't encourage him."

Though Wendell did the opposite, with him, with Shaggy and then Fred making faces at each other all the way to the station.

...

"Oh wow, he's one of those talking dogs."

When Shaggy and Fred were eight years old. A pup named Scooby Doo joined their little group. When Fred first met the dog, the dog could barely speak do to the bandages around his jaw. Shaggy told him that Scooby came from a bad place and that his dad had rescued him. Fred had imagined that Jack had rescued the dog from a bank robbery or a house fire or something, and just left it at that. (He only learned the truth years later, and had gained a whole new respect for Mr. Rogers.)

Scooby was a good pup, willing to be the guinea pig for his new hobby, traps. Which made it even better when the boys discovered that they lived next door to each other when they first met. Fred can set up nets between the houses.

Many summers were spent in Shaggy's treehouse. Which was becoming Fred's second most favorite place in the world. Because that means that Shaggy and Scooby were going to be there. Fred had always wanted a brother, for many years he had asked his parents, the Mall Santa, Tooth Fairy, Birthday candles, etc. Becoming disappointed when it didn't happen.

Until it did, because he got Shaggy now and that is more than good enough for him. Plus his mom bakes really really good cookies, so that's a plus too.

...

Fred was ten when his best friend in the whole wide worlds life went crashing down around him. He wasn't there when Margret sat Shaggy down and told him that his father wasn't coming home. But he was there for the immediate aftermath.

It was late, and Fred was just starting to drift off when he saw Shaggy quietly sneak into his room. Quickly crawling under the sheets and curling up next to him. Fred had heard the news of Mr. Rogers passing on earlier from his own mother. He thought he had time before he saw his friend again, because he had no clue what to even say to him. Let alone process what just happened.

Shaggy didn't say anything. Burying his face into his friends chest.

"Shaggy?" Fred tried and failed to say much of anything. But he didn't need to.

"Don't." Shaggy cut him off. "Don't... please."

Okay, he could do that. Shaggy was his brother, and if Shaggy didn't need Fred to say anything then he wont say anything. Even when his shirt started to become uncomfortably wet.

...

Fred and Shaggy were fifteen when Margret remarried.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Margret looked stunning in her white dress, even after two children. Fred, Daphne and Velma were invited to the ceremony. Even Scooby Doo, who walked down with Maggie while she sprinkled flower petals and he balanced a pillow that contained the rings on top of his head. A trick that he had been practicing for weeks.

It was a joyous occasion, and everyone was having a good time. All except for one. Shaggy. Who decided not to spoil anything and sat towards the back of the room and sulk during the reception. Fred didn't understand why a dark cloud would pass over Shaggy's eyes when Margret's new man was mentioned. It took Fred awhile to realize that he never seen Shaggy even remotely dislike anybody.

But it was very obvious now that Shaggy absolutely _hated_ Brian.

Fred on the other hand was indifferent towards the accountant. But Brian was a good man. He saw that. Though what drove Fred up the wall was that Shaggy was completely miserable the entire time. Even though he didn't show it, Fred knew Shaggy long enough to see right through the mask he would put on to hide his emotions. Others would be fooled, because it was a uncomfortably believable mask. But Fred knew better, and he knew he was going into a lions den when he sat next to his friend.

"Hey man." Fred playfully nudged him, which made Shaggy smile slightly. His body physically relaxing at Fred's presence. "Everything okay?"

Shaggy's smile disappeared for a moment, but was quickly replaced with a less convincing grin. "Yeah. Everything is fine."

No. It wasn't. Fred immediately went for the throat. Knowing well that he has to force Shaggy to confront his emotions before they start to eat him alive. "Hey. Look." When Shaggy didn't move, Fred gently grabbed his chin, forcing him to pick up his head and turn to look at Margret and Brian. "Look. Just, look at your mother. Look how happy she is."

Margret was sitting at a table, watching as a five year old Maggie stood on Brians shoes as they danced. Fred continued, not letting Shaggy go. "Look how happy your sister is. Do you want your family to be broken up forever. Do you want Maggie to grow up without a father figure in her life." He was careful to say 'father _figure_' because the last thing he needed was for Shaggy to blow up at him.

"I- no..." Shaggy shook his head, pushing Fred's hand away from his face. "It's not that... it's..."

Shaggy was way too easy to read. Fred didn't let him finish. "I know. I miss your dad too. But Margret wasn't looking for a replacement. She needed to move on, or she will be lonely and heartbroken for the rest of her life."

Shaggy was quiet. Of course he hadn't moved on himself. Not when Jack's killer was still out there. How could anyone move on from that? But it was something that had to be done. Fred knew that Jack would've hated to see his family still broken after all this time.

"It's not fair..." Shaggy whispered, crossing his arms and sinking into his chair. Which was difficult to to do for someone who was quickly becoming over six feet tall. Shaggy always had the strange talent in looking so small.

"I know... but give Brian a chance." Fred rested his hand on the center of his friends back. Fred knew that Shaggy had heard the same plea from his mother. But it was different coming from Fred, and they both knew it. "Please. You got to move on too... or at least try. I miss my best friend. I want him back."

Shaggy shook his head. "I'm sorry... Fred. It's just... everything is so weird now I just..."

The gears in Fred's mind began to turn. Summer is just around the corner and they're about to get their licenses. Fred had always wanted to leave Coolsville and travel around the state. Daphne, who they met a number of years ago and Velma, who they are quickly becoming close to when they met at the Mystery solving club at their school were on board. Fred knew that they weren't allowed to go very far until they are much older. But he knew that Shaggy did not want to return home to this.

"Why don't we leave for the summer?" Fred smiled. "I know that we had talked about it for some time now. But I think now is a good time."

"In what? That crappy van you just bought?" Shaggy raised an eyebrow. Which was a fair point. Fred did buy it from an uncle for a too good to be true price, the thing barely runs and the ugly, pale yellow paint was chipping off. But it was Fred's first car and it was his baby. Maybe a paint job could persuade him?

"It just needs some elbow grease and a lot of love." He paused. "Maybe you can help me paint it? You're a better artist than I am."

"Barely." Shaggy shrugged. Though Fred knew that he was starting to warm up to the idea. "I don't know how to paint cars. What am I going to do? Paint big old flowers on it and call it the 'Mystery Machine'?"

"Exactly!" Fred nodded, and Shaggy gave him a weird look. "I don't care what you put on it. Tye dye it. I don't care. Let that be our new normal. What do you say? Why don't we put Mystery Inc. on the road?"

Shaggy couldn't think of much of an argument when Maggie ran towards him. Grabbing his hands and pulling him out of his seat. "Shaggy! Come dance with me!"

Knowing that he couldn't say no to that little face. Shaggy found himself dragged to the dance floor by the excited five year old. Who was determined to dance with everybody while she is wearing her pretty flower girl dress. Leaving Fred alone at the table, but he knew that he had got him when Shaggy looked back and gave him a true smile. Ah, there was the real Shaggy.

...

"Listen, if we're going to catch the 'Phantom Mortician' then we need bait." Fred explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Shaggy on the other hand, couldn't really wrap his head around why he had to be in a body bag.

Fred stopped before he zipped up the last few inches, large, terrified eyes stared up at him. "Just press on the back of the zipper and push it down." Fred explained again, this time with a sigh. "Once you make a large enough hole you can just wiggle your way out. No biggie."

"But what if I can't?" Shaggy protested. Angry eyes and reddened nose poking out of the bag. It was the middle of winter and the abandoned building had gone years without power. "What if the zipper gets stuck?"

"It won't." Fred reassured his friend once more. Zipping up the last few inches, leaving enough of a hole for him to breathe. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

"You don't- you don't know that!" Shaggy squeaked as Fred covered his face with a surgeons mask and began push him across the long since abandoned hall. "Your plans never work!"

"Quiet." Fred snapped. "You're supposed to be dead."

Shaggy's protesting quickly turned into a bitter grumble, and Fred could see him cross his arms from under the brittle plastic of the old body bag they found. Fred didn't say it out loud, but he hoped it never got to be used.

"The things I do for you, Fred Jones." Shaggy whispered only loud enough for Fred to hear. Too afraid to do anything other than playing dead.

"I promise." Fred also lowered his voice as they got closer to the morgue. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"You better." Shaggy mumbled. Quickly growing silent as the gurney he was on pushed open the old rusted doors.

...

Fred stared down at the body bag, his mind reeling to process the series of events that had just happened. It all went by so fast. Him and the girls were at the diner, quickly realize their terrible mistake about Vanna Pira and then... nothing but a blur. Leading Fred up to this moment.

The nurses and the EMTs didn't do a very good job at concealing the body. When Fred pulled up in the Mystery Machine he found them zipping up their friend in a body bag. The sight made Margret scream in horror and it traumatized the rest of them. Velma was an inconsolable wreck and even Daphne had no clue how to even comfort her.

Which lead Fred here. Standing down at the bag that contained what used to be his best friend. Out in the hallway outside of the hospital morgue. He took a breath, his hands shaking as he struggled to even move, or say anything.

Then his mind began to debate with himself. The last memory he had of Shaggy was somewhat pleasant. He didn't look too good but he was smiling, and laughing and he was very much distracted by Vanna. The thought of Vanna made his heart ache. Oh god, they're going to have to tell her, and it would be all their fault.

But this was his last chance to see his friend, besides at the funeral. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle seeing his friend in a coffin.

Instead his mind began to focus on the last time he saw his friend in a body bag. During one of the first mysteries they had solved as Mystery Inc.

"_The things I do for you, Fred Jones." _His friends voice echoed through his head.

"I'm so sorry." Fred reached for the zipper with a shaking hand. It began to pull down with ease, light pooling into the blacked depths of the bag. But he suddenly stopped when he caught sight of a pale forehead and half lidded, lifeless eyes starting up at nothing.

Fred thew himself back, quickly zipping the bag up. He held his hand over his beating chest, trying to take deep calming breath in an attempt to settle his stomach. This was his fault. This was all his fault. His best friend is dead and it was all his fault. He should've known better, he should've been there to protect him.

Fred lowered himself on a nearby bench. Burying his face into his hands and letting out a muffled sob. His body beginning to shake as shock began to melt into grief and everything that happened today began to crash in all around him. He has to leave, he has to get out of here.

He stood back up, stepping up to the body bag again. He didn't know why, but he pulled down the zipper to make a hole big enough for a finger to poke through and unzip the bag from the inside. Maybe he was being childish, but Shaggy had gotten out of a body bag before. Maybe... just..just maybe...

"_I promise."_ The memory of his own once confident voice echoed through his mind. "_I won't let anything happen to you." _A empty promise that he had made to his friend many years ago.

"_You better."_

...

Fred watched as the faux wolf mindlessly twirled his pistol around his finger. The ropes that held down himself and his friends were starting to dig into skin.

"What to do with you?" The voice was heavily disguised. But Fred has the nagging pull in the back of his mind that he had heard it from somewhere else before. He knew that it was going to drive him crazy.

Yeah, what to do with him. He heard from Vanna that Shaggy had taken a nasty fall somewhere in the old building and that was all he could think about. His emotions can't take it anymore, he just recovered from the horrible thought of losing his friend forever. Now he has to go through that fear all over again. Was he okay? Did he land on something sharp? We're was he? He swears if something happened to him again or the girls, Fred is going to absolutely lose it on this madman holding them hostage.

Though Fred's own panic didn't last long when he saw a flash of brown from the shadows of the darkened building. Something was here with them... something or someone was on the hunt.

Fred hid his smile by lowering his head. Something is on the hunt, and Fred knew that himself or any of his friends were not on the menu.

...

Fred watched as a poorly dressed magician ghost was hauled away into the back of a police vehicle. Another job well done in his book.

Hang on... Wait for it.

"I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids and your dog!"

"Dog!" Scooby looked around the porch they were all hanging out on. "Where?"

Fred laughed, sitting next to Shaggy on a nearby bench. He told himself that he needs to savor these kind of moments. Something deep inside of him telling him that when Shaggy leaves for the Realm of Monsters... he's never going to be the same again.

Shaggy leaned back on the bench. Watching the cop car drive away, the flashing lights disappearing over a hill. "I'm going to miss this..."

"Yeah." Fred didn't trust his voice, he knew that there was no way to convince him to stay.

Shaggy crossed his arms, the chill of the autumn night didn't bother the new Alpha so much anymore like it used to. Fred knew the gesture as one of self comfort. He was glad to know that Shaggy was still just as nervous as he is. Big changes were on the horizon, ones that none of them know what to expect of.

His much taller friend absentmindedly leaned onto Fred's shoulder, keeping his arms and his leg crossed. Shaggy's eyes were growing heavy, meaning that one of the girls are going to have to take over with driving his van.

"Is it weird to call you my soulmate?" Shaggy's question came out of nowhere. "Not in a romantic way... just." He didn't need to explain that to him. Fred obviously knew what he meant by that. "You know."

Fred snorted, looking at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "Oh I know, or else Vanna would be very jealous."

Shaggy laughed, though still not moving from his spot. A true sign that he was really that exhausted, they all were. As much as they all love to travel, it tends to take a toll on them here and there.

But yeah, what Shaggy said. That makes a lot of sense. Fred saw him as a brother almost instantly after they met. The girls would often call it a bromance when they wanted to poke fun with each other. But Fred knew one thing, he doesn't know who he would be if he never met Shaggy. Though he knew that his life wouldn't be this exciting, that's for sure.

"Well. If the whole soulmate thing is real. Glad it's you, bro." Fred watched as Scooby sniffed around the premise, on the trail of something. Poor dog was probably starving, but Fred didn't want to move from his spot.

"Hey." Fred began.

"Yeah?" Shaggy's reply was quick, not bothering to make eye contact with him. Too busy watching as his dog make his way to the Mystery Machine on the hunt for some Scooby Snacks.

"When you go to the Monster Realm..." Fred continued his thought. "Try not to change too much... okay?"

This time he felt Shaggy's smile. "Yeah, I'll like.. try."

"Good." Fred nodded, though they both know that it was a empty promise. But they can pretend for a little longer. Like how they can just make one more pit stop, or just solve one more mystery before Mystery Inc. is officially over and the next chapter of their life could begin.

"Groovy."

**End. **

**A/N: **Wanted to fill in some details before the events of Pack Animals 2. But I don't think the final story isn't going to come out anytime soon. PA2 was a little disappointing to me, and I had a hard time getting it done. Even then I didn't feel so hot about the sequel to begin with. I immediately wanted to do the story for 3 (it's a big one, not in length, but in story) and finish the series for good. But I knew that Shaggy's story and the subsequent world building that it brought was very important and I knew I shouldn't skip it. But ignore me and my saltiness. I'm at my best when I'm bitter, oddly enough, hah.

Anyhow. Sorry to rant. If you like it, please leave a review and I hope to see you again in the next story. Take care and have a good morning, evening or night.

**-HM**


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